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The Halfpenny Halflings
Family History 100 years ago, the Halfpenny Halflings were famous the Empire over as one of the most prolific trading families. They were the first to set up a regular ship run between Cannering, Whaletown and White Haven, using shallower keeled Halfling ships which carried less but more reliably. Roughly 100 years ago, the Halfpenny Matriarch at the time, Maven Halfpenny, took a gamble on the wild sea stories of an old sailor and invested most of the family’s money in a fleet of ships going south to discover new lands. Many families at the time invested in the fleet, sure that the silver-rich island that Maven told them about would make them very rich. 20 ships, laden with raw materials and men and women to establish a colony, set out from White Haven. 4 months later, one ship limped back into port. Repaired so many times it was barely recognisable and crewed by only a handful of men half mad from thirst, the Sea Skipper told stories of a land filled with dragons, only reachable by crossing an ocean of storms. They called it a damned place, and swore never to go to sea again. The Halfpenny Halflings were ruined. But Halflings are nothing if not industrious. After the disaster of the fleet, Maven stepped down as Matriarch and a comparatively young Halfling inauspiciously named Lentyl took over. By doubling down on the trade route they still owned using their few remaining ships and sticking to it in the face of stiff competition, Lentyl slowly rebuilt the Halfpenny fortunes. While they were nowhere near their pre-ruin levels when the Elf/Dwarf war started, the Halfpenny name was no longer only associated with their loss. At the time of the war, Opal Halfpenny was Matriarch. A canny negotiator who had occasionally been accused of somewhat underhanded tactics, Opal saw the war as an easy way to rebuild the family fortunes to their former heights. Using the family fleet, Opal saw to it that the Halfpenny’s sold weapons to both sides of the fight – Opal herself described this as ‘Diplomatic Neutrality’. As the war slowly but surely began to turn against the elves, Opal had made a huge amount of money but saw an opportunity for more. With her heavy coffers she bought herself information straight from the Emperor’s courts, and learnt of the intention to disenfranchise the elves almost as soon as the elves themselves did, if not slightly before. With the elves suddenly looking for somewhere else to go, Opal finally saw an opportunity to make good on the money lost so many years before looking for a lost continent. Through her previous dealings, Opal had contact with the top brass in the elven army – and through them she presented her proposal to the mysterious council. Opal would provide her fleet as well as invest a significant portion of the Halfpenny fortune into hiring more ships, and she would take the elves to the southern continent. As far as her own terms, Opal seemed vague – future profits, future promises, and future partnerships. The elves were mistrustful of Opal’s seeming largesse, but they were desperate. The council agreed to Opal’s terms, and Opal took the elves south.